Region: Jerez, Spain

Varietal: 100% Tintilla (Graciano)

Tasting Notes: Meaty spices, grilled herbs, dark earth and rich black cherries and hibiscus. Intense yet juicy on the palate with a full body and a tight and bright finish.

Producer: Vara y Pulgar is made from one of the most rare grape varieties of southwestern Spain. The Tintilla grape was cultivated in Jerez for many centuries; however, it, along with many other varieties disappeared after the phylloxera epidemic in the early 20th century. Today, Alberto Orte has recovered a few cuttings from abandoned vineyards that managed to survive phylloxera, and after many years of work has managed to produce the first bottles of 100% Tintilla still (dry) wine in over a century.

Vineyard & Winemaking: Jerez is famous for its Albariza soil, a type of chalk that is very light and porous. This same type of soil can also be found in some parts of the region of Champagne in France. Vines that are tended in this type of soil make superior and distinctive wines. Planted in Albariza, Tintilla is able to ripen perfectly without showing extra alcohol or overripe flavors. It has a rare confluence of delicate complexity and medium to full bodied weight on the palate, with lovely minerality similar to other wines of the region. Recent genetic studies show that Tintilla is the same grape as Graciano. This wine is aged 12 months in 60% concrete tanks and 40% large oak vats, then blended and aged an additional 7 months in French oak barrels before bottling.